CarL1 Salem RidgeYaks

Rolling Red Sox Flatten Pelicans, 9-3

Published on April 18, 2010 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem RidgeYaks News Release


Salem, VA (April 18, 2010) - Alex Hassan and Oscar Tejeda each blasted their first homers of the season and five Red Sox had multiple hits as Salem eased past Myrtle Beach for their third straight victory over the Pelicans and their fourth in a row overall. Once again, the offense provided an overwhelming performance, as Tejeda, Anthony Rizzo, and Will Vazquez each pounded three hits. Combine that with a Red Sox pitching staff that only walked four batters all series and a defense that was flawless on Sunday, and the result is an 8-2 record, tops in the Carolina League. Red-hot DH Ryan Lavarnway chipped in with a paltry 2-5 effort, which lowered his sizzling .471 average by 9 points, but drove in three more runs to finish the series with eight hits and nine RBI.

Stolmy Pimentel improved to 2-0 with five strong innings for the Red Sox. Pimentel overcame a bumpy first inning which included back-to-back solo homers for Adam Milligan and Gerry Rodriguez, but allowed just two singles over the next four frames to subdue the Pelican offense. Pimentel finished with a line of two runs and four hits allowed, with two walks and two strikeouts.

Salem trailed 2-0 into the bottom of the second, but after Will Middlebrooks led off with a double, Hassan belted a two-run bomb over the left-field wall to tie things up at two. An inning later, the Red Sox bats continued their impeccable consistency by adding three more runs on five singles. Lavarnway and Middlebrooks each drove in one, while another run scored on a 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Hassan.

The Sox tacked on another run in the fourth when Oscar Tejeda crushed a first-pitch fastball over the wall in left. Tejeda, batting in the #2 position for the first time this season, scored three runs and went 3-5, raising his average to .389.

After the Pelicans scraped a run home in the seventh when Gerardo Avila doubled, moved to third on a grounder, and later scored on a wild pitch, the Red Sox put the game away with three more in the seventh. Lavarnway drilled yet another two-run single, and Vazquez, getting the start behind the plate as Tim Federowicz had the day off, lined an RBI double down the left field line to make it 9-3. Vazquez became the third different Red Sox catcher, along with Federowicz on Friday and Lavarnway on Saturday, to play behind the plate for a victory in the three-game sweep, and each backstop registered three hits while also running the game.

Mitch Herold and Leandro Marin tossed two innings apiece out of the Salem bullpen in relief of Pimentel. Herold allowed one run on one hit, while Marin threw two scoreless. Each reliever struck out one and did not walk anybody. Through ten games, Salem pitchers have walked just 25 batters, or two and a half per game, by far the smallest number in the Carolina League.

At 8-2, the Salem Sox continue their homestand on Monday with the first of four against the Lynchburg Hillcats. The pitching matchup is a rematch from last Wednesday, with Salem's Brock Huntzinger set to face Lynchburg's Matt Fairel. All four games against the Hillcats are scheduled for a 7:05 first pitch at Lewis-Gale Field.

Check out the Salem RidgeYaks Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Carolina League Stories from April 18, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central